Both types of armour are potentially dangerous for friendly infantry operating in close support.
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Paradoxically, a tank is usually in its safest state when the commander is in a personally unsafe position, riding in the open, head out of the turret. In this rather high position (often called 'unbuttoned'), with no personal protection save maybe a helmet and a flak jacket, the commander can see around the vehicle with no restrictions, and has the greatest chance of spotting enemy antitank operations or natural and artificial obstacles which might immobilise or slow down the tank. Also, the tank itself is less visible as it can stay lower behind obstacles.How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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Using periscopes and other viewing devices gives a commander much inferior field of vision and sense of the countryside. Thus, when a tank advances in hostile territory with hatches closed, the commander and the crew might be personally safer, but the tank as a whole is more at risk given the extremely reduced vision. In order to overcome this problem improvements in onboard optical systems are ongoing.How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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main battle tank is designed to be highly mobile and able to tackle most types of terrain. Its tracks disperse the heavy weight of the vehicle over a large area, resulting in a specific ground pressure that might be lower than a man's footHow fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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he types of terrain that do pose a problem are usually extremely soft ground such as swamps, or rocky terrain scattered with large boulders. In "normal" terrain, a tank can be expected to travel at about 30 to 50 km/h. The road speed may be up to 70 km/h.How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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